2012 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix

  2012 Qatar Grand Prix

Race details
Race 1 of 18 races in the 2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season
Date	8 April 2012
Official name	Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar[1]
Location	Losail International Circuit
Course	Permanent racing facility 5.380 km (3.343 mi)
MotoGP
Pole position Rider Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Time 1:54.634 Fastest lap Rider Casey Stoner Honda Time 1:55.541 Podium First Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha Second Dani Pedrosa Honda Third Casey Stoner Honda
Moto2
Pole position Rider Thomas Lüthi Suter Time 2:00.187 Fastest lap Rider Marc Márquez Suter Time 2:00.645 Podium First Marc Márquez Suter Second Andrea Iannone Speed Up Third Pol Espargaró Kalex
Moto3
Pole position Rider Sandro Cortese KTM Time 2:08.188 Fastest lap Rider Maverick Viñales FTR Honda Time 2:07.276 Podium First Maverick Viñales FTR Honda Second Romano Fenati FTR Honda Third Sandro Cortese KTM

The 2012 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix was the first round of the 2012 MotoGP season. It was held at the Losail International Circuit near Doha in Qatar on 8 April 2012.^[2] It was contested over twenty-two laps.

This race saw the début of the 1000cc engine motorcycles introduced in the MotoGP class for this season and also the début of the Honda RC213V, replacing the 800cc engines and the Honda RC212V that were used between 2007 and 2011, ^[3] and also the début of the 125cc 2-stroke replacement class, Moto3, which are powered by 250cc (15.2 cu in) 4-stroke engines. ^[4]